Christmas Eve Cafe

Here's a fun popular historian explaining how Christmas traditions came to be. The Christmas tree comes from the pre-Christian practice of putting up a tall tree in the town square and... hanging apples from it, which people could take from the boughs and eat. So that's what ornaments are symbolizing.

Another cool fact he brings up is that the "yule log" was an actual log, or trunk, of six to ten feet long. One corner of the log was put on the fireplace, the rest was outside of the fireplace, laying on the floor. The idea was to burn the yule log for all twelve days of Yule (and then, the twelve days of Christmas). One log can't last that long, so the family would just put it in the fire for a certain amount of time every night, so that the end of the log would be burned on the twelfth night.

Interestingly, Hanukah also features the tradition of extending a fuel source for a number of days (eight in the case of Hanukah). I have no idea if these ideas are related or it's just a case of great minds thinking a light.

Everyone don our festive sweaters.

The cat pled "not guilty," saying he was carried away by Christmas cheer.

Very civilized penguin queues up and waits in line.

Deer chewing bubble gum.

Enough with the TikTok!

Like Daniel in the lion's den.

These pretty dogs have the Christmas Spirit.

Sea lion employs Trumpian negotiation tactics.

Cat says bah, humbug because of course he does.

Out of control!

posted by Ace at 07:42 PM

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